In the beginning, as individual teams, different ideas arose: one of them consisted of the implementation of a weapons factory, not as an ill-intentioned idea in favour of war conflicts, but purely as criticism of the prosperous business of weapons dealing. However, it was rejected because of its unethical principles and support of violence. The other team had decided to start up an ecological food restaurant suitable for celiacs and vegetarians. It included the sale of 100% natural homemade products which would have been totally respectful with the environment, as would have been those products bought from suppliers. This idea was also discarded for it did not present a supportive purpose nor did it benefit other communities.
With the association of both teams, we began developing an idea which was of a much bigger scale and repercussion. Initially, we considered the possibility of installing infrastructures in Africa, which would soon develop towards the area of renewable energies, currently rising in popularity and with incredible future prospects. We focused our efforts on the implementation of solar panels in Cameroon, for it is a country with no recent war conflicts, large extensions of grasslands and because of its proximity to the equator, where the hours of daylight are longer. Nevertheless, after weighing up the pros and cons of our project, we realised that on a bigger scale it would not only be an unprofitable business, but it would also be practically unfeasible, for once the panels had been installed we would no longer receive any income, and, anyway, we could not be sure about their sale to the local population.
Solar Roadways
Finally, our proposal is the installation of roads equipped with integrated solar panels in Asia, with China as a starting point. We chose this country because of its condition as an emerging and leading nation and because of the large investment in renewable energies over the past years. Moreover, China boasts abundant and qualified manpower. The government is surely an interested party: the country only has petrol reserves for another 15 years at the current growth rate of the country, and the world's reserves are also decreasing because of conflicts, so prices are rising tremendously. Looking into the future, China's energy independence is essential. Even though China rejected signing the Copenhagen Summit, the government is still willing to develop projects concerning green energies in the country, and ours would help in the reduction of poisonous gases in the atmosphere , which every year kill around half a million inhabitants. Also, we would take advantage of China's weak point, that is, the production of electricity, for they are completely dependent on the fossil fuel which they have in abundance: coal. This fossil fuel is highly contaminating and it is the reason why the authorities have decided to increase their investment in renewable energies at an annual rate of 100% over the last five years.
It is true that China has its own solar panel companies, which would offer strong competition, and that is the reason why we have decided to be innovative, focusing on the idea of solar roadways. The idea grew out of a project developed by a team of American scientists, and it
Contamination in China seen from a NASA satellite
consists in the surfacing of roads with extremely resistant glass sheeting, underneath which the solar panels would be fitted. Thus, we would also solve the need for large extensions of land to install our panels. This system also looks into the future for electric cars would be able to charge their batteries automatically. Roads would also include a system whereby they would produce heat; therefore problems such as road closure because of snow in winter would be a thing of the past.
This project would be impossible to develop on a small or medium scale because of its magnitude, so we have decided to start up a multinational company. The truth is, it is a very expensive project, but we trust in the Government's interests, and, nevertheless, we will also resort to national and international grants, such as those given by the AECID, EU and United Nations. Similarly, we hope non-governmental organisations which carry out work in the area, and environment protection associations will give a helping hand. Our main challenge is to have enough economic resources to be able to get the ball rolling, for technology is not a problem and China is a leading country in this area. In parallel, we have also considered our proposal could be rejected because electric cars have not yet been developed, but we believe and trust that in the near future our more profitable and clean energy will be the chosen solution.
In the beginning, as individual teams, different ideas arose: one of them consisted of the implementation of a weapons factory, not as an ill-intentioned idea in favour of war conflicts, but purely as criticism of the prosperous business of weapons dealing. However, it was rejected because of its unethical principles and support of violence. The other team had decided to start up an ecological food restaurant suitable for celiacs and vegetarians. It included the sale of 100% natural homemade products which would have been totally respectful with the environment, as would have been those products bought from suppliers. This idea was also discarded for it did not present a supportive purpose nor did it benefit other communities.
With the association of both teams, we began developing an idea which was of a much bigger scale and repercussion. Initially, we considered the possibility of installing infrastructures in Africa, which would soon develop towards the area of renewable energies, currently rising in popularity and with incredible future prospects. We focused our efforts on the implementation of solar panels in Cameroon, for it is a country with no recent war conflicts, large extensions of grasslands and because of its proximity to the equator, where the hours of daylight are longer. Nevertheless, after weighing up the pros and cons of our project, we realised that on a bigger scale it would not only be an unprofitable business, but it would also be practically unfeasible, for once the panels had been installed we would no longer receive any income, and, anyway, we could not be sure about their sale to the local population.
Solar Roadways
Finally, our proposal is the installation of roads equipped with integrated solar panels in Asia, with China as a starting point. We chose this country because of its condition as an emerging and leading nation and because of the large investment in renewable energies over the past years. Moreover, China boasts abundant and qualified manpower. The government is surely an interested party: the country only has petrol reserves for another 15 years at the current growth rate of the country, and the world's reserves are also decreasing because of conflicts, so prices are rising tremendously. Looking into the future, China's energy independence is essential. Even though China rejected signing the Copenhagen Summit, the government is still willing to develop projects concerning green energies in the country, and ours would help in the reduction of poisonous gases in the atmosphere , which every year kill around half a million inhabitants. Also, we would take advantage of China's weak point, that is, the production of electricity, for they are completely dependent on the fossil fuel which they have in abundance: coal. This fossil fuel is highly contaminating and it is the reason why the authorities have decided to increase their investment in renewable energies at an annual rate of 100% over the last five years.
It is true that China has its own solar panel companies, which would offer strong competition, and that is the reason why we have decided to be innovative, focusing on the idea of solar roadways. The idea grew out of a project developed by a team of American scientists, and it
consists in the surfacing of roads with extremely resistant glass sheeting, underneath which the solar panels would be fitted. Thus, we would also solve the need for large extensions of land to install our panels. This system also looks into the future for electric cars would be able to charge their batteries automatically. Roads would also include a system whereby they would produce heat; therefore problems such as road closure because of snow in winter would be a thing of the past.
This project would be impossible to develop on a small or medium scale because of its magnitude, so we have decided to start up a multinational company. The truth is, it is a very expensive project, but we trust in the Government's interests, and, nevertheless, we will also resort to national and international grants, such as those given by the AECID, EU and United Nations. Similarly, we hope non-governmental organisations which carry out work in the area, and environment protection associations will give a helping hand. Our main challenge is to have enough economic resources to be able to get the ball rolling, for technology is not a problem and China is a leading country in this area. In parallel, we have also considered our proposal could be rejected because electric cars have not yet been developed, but we believe and trust that in the near future our more profitable and clean energy will be the chosen solution.
Translation into Spanish/Traducción al castellano
Sources
http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2009/09/20/ciencia/1253470160.html
http://www.larazon.es/noticia/4165-china-se-apunta-a-la-energia-verde
http://www.solarroadways.com/main.html
http://www.mdzol.com/mdz/nota/158398-Planean-construir-mayor-central-mundial-de-energ%C3%ADa-solar-en-China/
http://www.lavanguardia.es/economia/noticias/20090308/53655477164/china-busca-nuevas-fuentes-de-energia-como-solucion-a-la-escasez-y-los-problemas-medioambientales-an.html
http://www.cdti.es/index.asp?MP=7&MS=563&MN=3&TR=C&IDR=101